The Best Cheap TVs for 2026

Budget-friendly TVs often make compromises compared with higher-end counterparts, but you can still get a good-looking, feature-filled model for less than $1,000 if you know where to look—and you should start here. I'm a certified TV calibrator and THX home theater expert, and I test every TV I review using specialized equipment to measure its brightness, contrast, color accuracy, color range, and input lag. The Fire TV-powered Hisense U65QF is the best budget TV on the market for picture quality, thanks to a significantly brighter panel than comparably priced options. If you're searching for a 75-inch TV for under $1,000 or want to spend a fraction of that on a decent TV for a guest bedroom, I also have options for you. Read on for the best budget-friendly TVs I've tested, followed by a buying guide to help you make informed decisions while shopping.

Best Overall

Hisense 65U65QF

Score: 4.5

Pros & Cons

• + Affordable

• + Bright, colorful picture

• + 144Hz with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro

• + Apple AirPlay

• - Affordable

• - Bright, colorful picture

• - 144Hz with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro

• - Apple AirPlay

Why We Picked It

The Hisense U65QF is simply the best budget TV we've tested so far, and easily the brightest. It's the first cheap TV to exceed 1,000 nits in my testing, when 600 to 700 nits is usually the most you should expect at this price. Its color performance is also excellent, and while it doesn't have hands-free voice control or Google Cast support, it does allow for Apple AirPlay streaming.

Who It's For

Anyone shopping on a budget:This is a great all-around TV that you can often find for under $700, even in 65-inch sizes. Its picture quality is a solid step above comparably priced TVs.

Gamers:If you play games, especially PC games with an AMD GPU, the U65QF is well-equipped for your needs. It has a 144Hz native refresh rate and supports variable refresh rate (VRR) with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.

Privacy-conscious Alexa users:If you use Alexa but don't necessarily want a mic always listening for commands in your living room, the U65QF is a good fit. Its Fire TV smart TV platform lets you access Alexa by pressing a button on the remote and speaking into it, but unlike many other TVs, it doesn't have a far-field microphone array for hands-free use. It's less convenient, but also less intrusive.

Specs & Configurations

Panel Type: LED

Screen Size: 65 inches

Resolution: 3,840 by 2,160

Video Inputs: HDMI,Composite,RF,USB

HDR: Dolby Vision,HDR-10

HDMI Ports: 4

Streaming Services: Yes

Screen Brightness: 1024 nits

Refresh Rate: 144 Hz

VRR: True

Input Lag (1080p120): 4.6 ms

Input Lag (4K60): 13.1 ms

AMD FreeSync: FreeSync Premium Pro

Nvidia G-Sync: None

Best for the Lowest Price Possible

Vizio 65-Inch Mini-LED Quantum TV (VQM65C-1004)

Score: 4.0

Pros & Cons

• + Excellent color performance

• + Satisfyingly bright

• + Supports Apple AirPlay and Google Cast

• + Inexpensive

• - Excellent color performance

• - Satisfyingly bright

• - Supports Apple AirPlay and Google Cast

• - Inexpensive

Why We Picked It

Vizio's Mini LED Quantum TV is far from the brightest model you can buy, it only has three HDMI ports, and it isn't exactly loaded with gaming features. That said, you simply won't find another TV in its price range that looks nearly as good.

Who It's For

People who want the lowest price possible:At $400 for 65 inches and $500 for 75 inches, the Vizio Mini LED Quantum is as cheap as it gets while still offering a very good picture.

Mixed mobile device households:It might not have any voice control or whole-home smart features worth speaking of, but it does have both Apple AirPlay and Google Cast, so anyone can stream from their phone or tablet, whether it's Android or iOS.

Specs & Configurations

Panel Type: LED

Screen Size: 65 inches

Resolution: 3,840 by 2,160

Video Inputs: HDMI,RF,USB

HDR: Dolby Vision,HDR10,HDR10+

HDMI Ports: 3

Streaming Services: Yes

Screen Brightness: 766 nits

Refresh Rate: 60 Hz

VRR: True

Input Lag (1080p120): 5.3 ms

Input Lag (4K60): 9.5 ms

AMD FreeSync: None

Nvidia G-Sync: None

Best for Hands-Free Voice Control

TCL QM6K Class 65-Inch TV (65QM6K)

Score: 4.0

Pros & Cons

• + Strong contrast with deep blacks

• + Accurate colors

• + Hands-free Google Assistant

• + Supports Apple AirPlay and Google Cast

• + 144Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro

• - Strong contrast with deep blacks

• - Accurate colors

• - Hands-free Google Assistant

• - Supports Apple AirPlay and Google Cast

• - 144Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro

Why We Picked It

The TCL QM6K is the best affordable Google TV, and while it isn't very bright, it's surprisingly well-equipped. It has hands-free Google Assistant, Google Cast, and Apple AirPlay, plus some high-end gaming features.

Who It's For

Anyone who wants hands-free voice control:If you want to control your TV and smart home devices with your voice, the QM6K is one of the cheapest options with hands-free Google Assistant support.

Gamers:The QM6K's 144Hz refresh rate with VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro makes it particularly well-suited for gaming.

Specs & Configurations

Panel Type: LED

Screen Size: 65 inches

Resolution: 3,840 by 2,160

Video Inputs: HDMI,RF,USB

HDR: Dolby Vision,HDR-10

HDMI Ports: 4

Streaming Services: Yes

Screen Brightness: 668 nits

Contrast Ratio: 1,670,000:1

Refresh Rate: 120 Hz

VRR: True

Input Lag (1080p120): 14.6 ms

AMD FreeSync: FreeSync Premium Pro

Nvidia G-Sync: None

Best for Alexa Users

None

Score: None

Pros & Cons

Why We Picked It

I haven't tested the latest version of Amazon's Ember QLED yet, but its  predecessor  was a decent TV that offered strong color performance and hands-free Amazon Alexa functionality at a reasonable price. This new model is similarly equipped and likely has a comparable, if not better, picture.

Who It's For

Alexa users:If you want to control your TV and smart home with your voice, especially if you already have Echo smart speakers in other rooms of the house, the Amazon Ember QLED should be on your radar. It's currently the cheapest TV Amazon offers with hands-free Alexa.

Best for Less Tech-Savvy Users

None

Score: None

Pros & Cons

Why We Picked It

Roku's smart TV platform focuses on making media streaming simple and accessible, with an interface that isn't cluttered with numerous ads and algorithm-generated recommendations. The Roku Plus Series is the company's midrange TV line, featuring a QLED and mini-LED panel that should make it significantly more capable than the low-end Select Series, while staying well below the $ 1,000 mark for a 65-inch screen. While we haven't tested the current Roku Plus Series, the  previous generation  earned four stars, and the latest model is likely to perform just as well, if not better.

Who It's For

Less tech-savvy users:If you or a loved one isn't proficient at (or simply doesn't like) navigating menus laden with countless content suggestions, Roku is the platform to use. Its basic layout and big tiles make it easy to just jump into your streaming service of choice without any hassle.

What's the Best Cheap TV Brand?

The classic big Japanese and Korean brands you're familiar with, such as LG, Samsung, and Sony, offer some impressive high-end models, but their cheaper TVs seldom impress. Instead, Chinese companies Hisense and TCL have effectively captured the budget-priced TV segment, offering inexpensive and feature-rich options with surprisingly good pictures for the price. Most of our favorite budget TVs from the last few years have come from these two companies.

The Best Cheap 4K TVs

We're far past the point where  4K  is a high-end luxury, especially with  8K  gearing up to become a major force in a few years (emphasis on years; don't worry about it yet). You can still find 1080p TVs, but most screens on the market are 4K. Only one TV on this list, the Amazon Fire TV 2-Series, is 1080p, and I recommend it only if you're looking to spend as little as possible to furnish a secondary space, such as a basement, garage, or guest bedroom.

With that in mind, I generally recommend you buy a 4K TV. They no longer demand a premium price, and they're almost universally better than any 1080p screen you can buy. In addition to being sharper, 4K TVs are more likely to support high dynamic range ( HDR ), which means they can display brighter and more vibrant colors than 1080p TVs with standard dynamic range. And, since most major  streaming services  support 4K HDR now, you can get plenty of 4K content out of the box without worrying about replacing your DVD or Blu-ray collection.

The Best Cheap Smart TVs

Like 4K, smart TV platforms are now basically universal, even for budget TVs. If you get a new TV, it likely has some way to watch Netflix and probably many other streaming services. Due to the availability of Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, and Roku TV, any television manufacturer can easily integrate a connected interface into their product. This is part of how Hisense and TCL have achieved such strong gains in the budget TV market; they rely on prebuilt Google TV or Roku TV packages, which eliminate the need for internal development effort. The majority of TVs on this list use one of these three third-party smart TV platforms.

Cheap vs. Expensive TVs

Cheaper TVs generally don't get as bright as pricier panels; they have higher black levels, which result in much lower contrast ratios, and they don't have nearly as wide a color range. Moreover, the devices are usually a bit thicker and typically look less streamlined than midrange and high-end offerings.

Near the high end of the budget range, you can find some excellent TVs with fairly bright panels, deep blacks, wide color gamuts, and stylish designs. However, if you want to pay less, you can expect lower picture quality. That said, you really can't go wrong with any of the options I've tested here.

Meanwhile, if money is no object, take a look at our list of the  best TVs overall , the best 65-inch TVs , and the best 75-inch (and up) TVs . And if a fast response time is important to you, consider one of the  best TVs for gaming . 

PCMag and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.